Afghan lawmaker, former jihadist, among 20 killed in funeral bombing
https://dervishcom.blogspot.com/2011/12/afghan-lawmaker-former-jihadist-among.html
KABUL —A suicide bomber killed least 20 people, including a member of parliament, at a funeral Sunday afternoon in a northern Afghan province that until now has been relatively secure.
Afghan officials said they think the lawmaker, Abdul Mutalib Baig, was the target of the bombing. The late lawmaker was a prominent commander of forces who fought against the Taliban during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s.
“We lost one of the great jihadi commanders,” said Haji Fareed Zaki, deputy governor of Takhar province, where the bomber struck shortly after 2 p.m.
The attack was in the Sare-i-sang village of Taluqan, the capital of Takhar province, deputy provincial police chief Gen. Khair Mohammad said. At least one 8-year-old boy was among the dead. A few dozen funeral attendees were reportedly wounded.
The village is in an area that is home to mostly ethnic Uzbeks and Tajiks and has seen a spike in attacks this year, as Taliban commanders have lost ground in their southern strongholds.
“This ruthless act of terror to target innocent people who had gathered for a religious ceremony yet again demonstrates the vile and vicious nature of the enemy who does not want to see the Muslim people of Afghanistan perform even their Islamic rituals,” President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.
No group claimed to have carried out the attack. Zaki said Afghan officials believe the attack was carried out by the Taliban, but said he doubted the group would take responsibility for it “because too many civilians were killed and wounded.” A statement from the U.S. Embassy also blamed the Taliban.
“This reprehensible attack on a funeral further illustrates that the Taliban and other insurgents are waging a murderous campaign against Afghan innocent civilians, including women and children,” the embassy statement said. The embassy said the attack “exposes as false” statements by Taliban leader Mullah Omar that his group does not target civilians in violent attacks.
The bombing came a day after Karzai said continuing night raids by NATO troops were hindering negotiations over a bilateral agreement between Kabul and Washington that would outline a legal framework for the continued presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014.
“For years, the arbitrary operations and house searches have been a serious problem between NATO and Afghanistan and this has become one of the main obstacles for signing the Afghanistan-U.S. strategic partnership pact,” Karzai said in a statement issued Saturday. “As long as the night raids and house searches are not ceased, the documents will not be signed.”
U.S. commanders have defended their reliance on night raids, which they say are designed to minimize the potential for civilian casualties during operations to seize insurgents. They say such operations are increasingly being conducted alongside Afghan forces and in some cases led by Afghan troops.
Afghan officials said they think the lawmaker, Abdul Mutalib Baig, was the target of the bombing. The late lawmaker was a prominent commander of forces who fought against the Taliban during Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s.
“We lost one of the great jihadi commanders,” said Haji Fareed Zaki, deputy governor of Takhar province, where the bomber struck shortly after 2 p.m.
The attack was in the Sare-i-sang village of Taluqan, the capital of Takhar province, deputy provincial police chief Gen. Khair Mohammad said. At least one 8-year-old boy was among the dead. A few dozen funeral attendees were reportedly wounded.
The village is in an area that is home to mostly ethnic Uzbeks and Tajiks and has seen a spike in attacks this year, as Taliban commanders have lost ground in their southern strongholds.
“This ruthless act of terror to target innocent people who had gathered for a religious ceremony yet again demonstrates the vile and vicious nature of the enemy who does not want to see the Muslim people of Afghanistan perform even their Islamic rituals,” President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.
No group claimed to have carried out the attack. Zaki said Afghan officials believe the attack was carried out by the Taliban, but said he doubted the group would take responsibility for it “because too many civilians were killed and wounded.” A statement from the U.S. Embassy also blamed the Taliban.
“This reprehensible attack on a funeral further illustrates that the Taliban and other insurgents are waging a murderous campaign against Afghan innocent civilians, including women and children,” the embassy statement said. The embassy said the attack “exposes as false” statements by Taliban leader Mullah Omar that his group does not target civilians in violent attacks.
The bombing came a day after Karzai said continuing night raids by NATO troops were hindering negotiations over a bilateral agreement between Kabul and Washington that would outline a legal framework for the continued presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014.
“For years, the arbitrary operations and house searches have been a serious problem between NATO and Afghanistan and this has become one of the main obstacles for signing the Afghanistan-U.S. strategic partnership pact,” Karzai said in a statement issued Saturday. “As long as the night raids and house searches are not ceased, the documents will not be signed.”
U.S. commanders have defended their reliance on night raids, which they say are designed to minimize the potential for civilian casualties during operations to seize insurgents. They say such operations are increasingly being conducted alongside Afghan forces and in some cases led by Afghan troops.
